


No Need To Tell

by nhasablog



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Acceptance, Multi, Polyamory, Steve has a tickle kink, Tickling, and the best boyfriends, tickle kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 12:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10616859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Bucky inhaled slowly. “Have you noticed that Steve has this thing with tickling?”Tony blinked. “Uh, I’m not sure. How do you mean?”“Well, he keeps trying to provoke us into tickling him, and when we do he doesn’t really seem to want us to stop, you know?”(Or, Bucky and Tony notice that Steve likes tickling, and knowing him he’s probably scared that they will judge him if he tells them, so they figure they should let him know that it’s all right.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> The process of realizing your partner has a tickle kink has always intrigued me, especially if it’s a poly relationship, so I decided to explore it. It doesn't have a lot of tickling. They mostly just talk about it. I hope you like it!

Bucky was more observant than he was given credit for. He could tell with just a glance when Steve needed to be left alone, when Tony needed to go to bed immediately, and when any of them was secretly pissed. He’d also spent his youth practising the art of decoding Steve Rogers, so he wasn’t really that surprised when he made the revelation, though he wondered how he hadn’t noticed this much earlier.

“Tony?”

Tony glanced up, a confusion that was most likely caused by Bucky’s careful tone finding his face. “Yeah?”

Bucky looked around, as if expecting Steve to show up any minute. “I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Oh, boy, what did I do?”

Bucky let out a laugh. “No, no, you haven’t done anything.”

Tony sat up properly on the couch. “Did something happen then? You’re scaring me with that serious voice of yours.”

“Everything is fine, don’t worry. I just want to talk about Steve.”

“Steve?”

“Scoot over, will you.” Tony did, and Bucky plopped down beside him. “I’ve noticed something lately, though I’m not entirely sure if I’m correct and I would like your input.”

“Go on.”

Bucky inhaled slowly. “Have you noticed that Steve has this thing with tickling?”

Tony blinked. “Uh, I’m not sure. How do you mean?”

“Well, he keeps trying to provoke us into tickling him, and when we do he doesn’t really seem to want us to stop, you know?”

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

“That’s fair. I’ve only started noticing it recently, but the more I think about it the more old memories appear from when we were younger. He was acting rather similarly back then, and I guess at first I figured it was his way of making me feel like nothing’s changed, but he’s the same when he’s around you as well.”

Tony hummed, his gaze stuck on the wall as he thought Bucky’s words over. “You know what, I think you’re right. There’s barely a week without him giggling beneath my fingers, and it’s usually because he’s been snarky and needs to be put in his place.”

“I think it’s all just a ploy to get us to tickle him. He has to like it, since he knows that’s exactly what we’re going to do to him when he’s provoking us.”

“Maybe he just likes the bonding experience it provides?”

“Either way, I think we should get him to tell us about it.”

Tony looked skeptical. “You think that’s a good idea?”

“Steve overthinks a lot, believe it or not, and I’m sure he’s turned this into the biggest thing in his head. I don’t want him walking around thinking it’s weird or anything.”

“That’s true. How long do you think it’ll take him to confess though?”

Bucky shot him a smile. “Ages, unless we just sit him down and tell him he know. He’ll become a blushy mess, I’m sure, but he’s not the type to straight up lie to our faces, though he might try to deny it at first.”

“A blushy Steve? I’m sold. This tickling thing is rather cute anyway.”

“Isn’t it, though? And now I know why he’s so much more fun to tickle than you are.”

Tony batted his hand away when he attempted to poke him. “Enlighten me.”

“He actually wants me to do it. I think the experience becomes different when the victim is enjoying it.”

“Are we sadists, Buck?”

“Nah. Not when it comes to Steve.”

* * *

 

Bucky felt weird when he entered their shared bedroom with Tony in tow. Steve was already there with his sketchbook on his lap, and when he looked up at them Bucky felt as if they were ambushing him, just barging in like this carrying the subject they were about to throw at him. Steve smiled, unaware of what was to come, and Bucky felt a little bad for him.

“Hey,” he said, closing his sketchbook as Tony and Bucky sat down on each side of him on the bed. “Is it bedtime already?” Steve always lost track of time when he was drawing.

Tony waved his hand at him. “Nah. We just wanted to come see you.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Am I in trouble?”

“You? Never.” Bucky turned to look at him more properly. “We just have something we want to talk to you about.”

The slight frown that found his face told them that Steve was getting a little nervous. “Go ahead.”

Bucky met Tony’s gaze briefly before he started talking. “So, uh, we’re not meaning this to sound accusing or that you have to confess to us because we deserve to know. This is genuinely because I’m pretty sure that you need to be assured that it’s all right, but in order to help you we need to know that this isn’t just something we’re imagining.”

“I’m confused.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure I’m not making much sense.” Bucky cleared his throat. “Tony, you want to take over?”

Tony sent him a look that meant that he was probably rolling his eyes mentally. “We think you have a thing for tickling, and the sole reason for us bringing it up instead of waiting for you to tell us is because we’re certain that you’re probably beating yourself up for liking it, so we just want to tell you that you’re not weird.”

At some point, in the midst of Tony’s monologue, Steve had frozen, a bright pink color spreading over his cheeks the more Tony spoke. Bucky had to bite his smile back, because he knew now wasn’t the time.

Steve ducked his head as soon as Tony finished talking. “Oh. Uh…”

“We don’t want to embarrass you, let alone pressure you, but I feel like this is something you need to come to terms with,” Bucky cut in when Steve didn’t say anything else.

Steve breathed out a laugh. “I don’t really know what to say.”

“I would suggest telling us that we’re not way off, but I think your reaction says it all,” Tony replied. “So I guess we should start reassuring you and stuff.”

Steve ran a hand over his face, still refusing to look at either of them. “How did you find out?”

“I didn’t. Bucky’s the observant one.”

Steve finally turned to him, though he never met his eyes. “Was it really that easy?”

“No. It took me a few weeks, after I started suspecting it.”

“And you guys really don’t think it’s weird?”

“Of course not! We even think it’s cute, don’t we, Tones?”

Tony nodded eagerly. “You like laughing and bonding and touching. Why wouldn’t we find it cute?”

Steve’s face was still bright red, but the smile that spread over it was so relieved that Bucky wanted to hug him and never let go. “Really?”

“Yes, really!”

“Oh, thank god.”

Steve slid down the headboard a bit and exhaled loudly, the tension vanishing from his body. Tony and Bucky laughed, both of them reaching out to ruffle his hair affectionately.

“You big idiot,” Tony said. “You really thought we would judge you?”

Steve shrugged. “You never know, you know?”

Bucky slung one arm over Steve’s chest, grinning when he yelped. “Group hug. Come on.”

Tony imitated him and Steve started giggling in their embrace, though he started giggling a lot more once their fingers inevitably started wiggling against his waist. “Nohoho!”

“Aw, you don’t mean that,” Tony teased.

Steve laughed for a few more seconds before choking out, “I dohohon’t.”

Bucky gasped in mock surprise. “Look at you already admitting things! I’m so proud.”

Steve only laughed in response, and from that day on their lives became even more mirthful than before.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com)


End file.
